DADGAD
DADGAD is an open tuning for the acoustic guitar that was developed by British folk guitarist Davey Graham in the 1960s . The high and low E-string as well as the H-string are each tuned a whole tone lower than in the standard tuning. This results in the tone sequence D - A - d - g - a - d 1 , which gave the tuning its name and can be interpreted as a D sus4 or G sus2 chord.
The result is that important basic chords can be fingered with one finger, such as a modal D chord by fingering the G string in the second fret. A characteristic feature is the "open" and voluminous sound caused by the fact that even that is not picked, often as strings drone resonate. Unlike other popular open tunings such as open G or open-D, DADGAD mood does not include the third of the basic chord and thus leaves the Tongeschlecht major or minor open because neither the tone f (minor third for D Minor) yet the tone f sharp (major third for D major) is included. Thus, melodies in D minor as well as in D major can be played well in DADGAD, because the key type can be determined by the fingered minor or major third . Another characteristic of DADGAD is the possibility of a very narrow voice guidance. The G and high A strings are 2 semitones apart, which is not the case in standard tuning. This allows very complex chords to be developed that are impossible on a normally tuned guitar. Variations of DADGAD are DGDGAD (comes very close to the open G-tuning and supports G-keys) or EADEAD (the voice distribution is the same as in DADGAD, but shifted towards the bass strings. The second interval is now between the 3rd and 4th . String.)
distribution
The DADGAD mood is particularly widespread in Celtic, i.e. Irish , Scottish and Breton folk music . There it displaced the traditional tuning E - A - d - g - h - e 1 as a quasi-standard, both in the solo area and when using the guitar as an accompanying instrument. Because of their popularity there is now a rich independent repertoire for the DADGAD mood.
Well-known guitarists who mainly play in DADGAD are Pierre Bensusan (France), Dick Gaughan (Scotland), Bert Jansch (England), Richard Thompson (England) and Jens Kommnick (Germany). In rock music, Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin has worked with this mood for a time, which can be heard in Kashmir, among others . The British singer-songwriter Jake Bugg and the German songwriter Michael Völkel also use the DADGAD mood at times.
Web links
- DADGAD. Alternate Tuning Guide